“As a kind of ghost ship, Mediterranean-ness, even apparently sunk, seem to reappear persistently in current debates of this latitude of Europe. On the depths of this sea we submerge to look for the wrecks of a glorious past. Its waters conceal a bright heritage in which the idea of human was conceived; the cradle of Western civilization and, for many, the only ship of hope in a tempestuous world. However, the Mar Medi Terraneum—“sea in the middle of the land”—long time ago stopped to be the centre of the World. Europe is found trapped between a glorious past and a decadent present; who can foresee the future? Delphi does not enjoy its best times nowadays. What does it mean to be Mediterranean in the XXI century? Keep talking about the past only perpetuates the interruption of our story —as Matvejevic poses it—; mentally frozen in a status that not always correspond to the present. We still talk about the Mediterranean as our cultural condition while time proceeds stubbornly passing by. In our mind, the waters of this sea are conceived, not only as the demiurge of our past, but also the one who determines our future. Meanwhile, the ports of our cities welcome very different vessels. What has changed? What still remains? In the eyes of Benedetto Gravagnuolo, “apparently nothing!” Does it make sense to keep talking about the Mediterranean as our cultural condition?“(…)

In 2012, Alvaro obtained his degree on Architecture by the University of Navarre, Spain. During his degree, he took part as intern in an environmental consulting company(Israel Berger & Associates) for high-rise buildings in New York City. During the last year of his degree, he combined the design of his dissertation project with the collaboration on a research innovation project on Dwelling with the Design Department of the school.
Alvaro believes that, in a society of information that is continuously being bombarded with data—treating all as being of equal importance—, Architecture runs the risk of remaining in superficiality. In response, he bets for an education based on critical thinking, and so, he decided to enrol in the AA´s theory masters programme.

Publications:

• The Post-Eurocentric City. Term 2.

(Re)descovering the Mediterranean. On its current conditions concerning Architecture.

Mediterranean-ness seems to appear and re-appear stubbornly in the architectonic debates of Southern Europe removing the waters of a glorious past to find a recycled lexicon. However, the Mar Medi Terraneum—”sea in the middle of the land”—long time ago stopped to be the centre of the World. What remains of this culture in a globalized society? Is Mediterranean-ness our cultural condition?
Setting sail in the limits of the Old World—the Non-Plus Ultra—I want to perambulate in the coast of Spain revisiting the lands that once were Mediterranean, looking for plans that modify the present territory and, most likely, our future.Can we say that the Mediterranean still exists?(…)